So we now have reached the March and DOS is still in cinemas, the home release is in reach and the movie still makes a little bit of money. The film is released in Japan and China and their numbers aren't bad at all. Especially China looks very good for now. I still think it's certain that DOS won't reach the 1 billion mark unless something happens… something unexpected but it's very likable to pass the $950 million and that would be a very, very great number for Peter, Warner and all team members. And to have some of the latest numbers at one look:

----------------------------------------------------- Total gross United States after 82 Days: $257,010,760Total gross United States after 82 Days (AUJ): $296,541,937 (-$39,531,177) ----------------------------------------------------- Total gross United States: $257,010,760Total gross United States (AUJ): $303,003,568 (-$43,479,564) Total gross United States (FOTR): $315,544,750 (-$58,533,990) Total gross United States (TTT): $342,551,365 (-$85,540,605) Total gross United States (ROTK): $377,845,905 (-$120,835,145) ----------------------------------------------------- Total gross Worldwide: $922,310,760Total gross Worldwide (AUJ) $1,017,003,568 (-$94,692,808) Total gross Worldwide (FOTR) $871,530,324 (+$16,732,808) Total gross Worldwide (TTT) $926,047,111 (-$2,736,351) Total gross Worldwide (ROTK) $1,119,929,521 (-$197,618,761) -----------------------------------------------------

So after passing the $900 million mark DOS also left FOTRs worldwide numbers behind and is about to pass TTT as well… which would make DOS the third most successful Middle-earth movie according to the box office numbers. And it's already number four of 2013 behind "Despicable Me 2", "Fronzen" and "Iron Man 3". How can that be a flop??

I would call it a huge financial success since the reviews of AUJ (from both fans and critics) weren't that great. Many people predicted DOS final box office some place around $ 800 million. I'm pretty sure it will reach the 950million at the end of March and perhaps more?… Just keep flying Smaug! "There is only one Lord of the Ring, only one who can bend it to his will. And he does not share power."

It's not a flop, any way you slice it. It's just not ROTK numbers, but I don't think it ever could've been.

This is a general remark, not just regarding The Hobbit, but I'm also not sure why home video sales aren't also used as an indicator as well, as those sales put up much higher numbers than I thought before actually looking into it. It seems less and less people are about going to the theater and dropping $30 to see a movie once when they can wait a few months, pay half that, and own the movie forever.

Of course the fans would be out in droves no matter what, but I have plenty of friends and family who rarely go to a movie, opting to "wait for Netflix". And I still wonder why the changes in home viewing since LOTR never seem to get factored in - e.g. how many more people have huge TVs, streaming etc. which all make viewing at home a preferred option in many cases. I wouldn't pay theater prices for a modest little character movie at this point. Has to be something worth a big screen.

Like DOS of course. Think DOS rentals will be explosive as well as DVD/BR sales, so as far as WB is concerned the Hobbit movies were well worth the investment$$$.

I wonder if TABA could actually beat the Hunger Games in December? HG is supposed to be the most anticipated movie, but it's a 2-parter, and that can annoy people who may "wait until both movies are out". And I didn't enjoy this last one as much as the first, and didn't like the third book as well, so I'll be opting out of HG unless dragged by friends. Whereas TABA has all these selling points including being the climax of a a trilogy *tears*

It is what it is. Everything has gone up over the years. Its neat to see how old movies would do based on today's dollar. I just find the well this movie wasn't as successful because of inflation. We're paying today's dollar not 2001 dollar. If we were I don't think I'd be paying $3.30 a gallon for gas.

Well, yes, but the dollar's "worth" was higher back then.
[In reply to]

Can't Post

This is factored in by adjusting for inflation. Yes, the actual dollar amount is higher, and you can mark that as a little arbitrary victory in your mind, but that particular statistic is not indicative of how much of people's "worth" actually went towards the tickets when directly comparing grosses from 13 years ago.

I'm a huge Hobbit fan and want nothing but its success, but THIS is the reality. Did The Hobbit films make as much or more "units of worth" than LotR? No, but it doesn't matter because The Hobbit movies still made a heck of a lot of "units of worth."

This is factored in by adjusting for inflation. Yes, the actual dollar amount is higher, and you can mark that as a little arbitrary victory in your mind, but that particular statistic is not indicative of how much of people's "worth" actually went towards the tickets when directly comparing grosses from 13 years ago.

I'm a huge Hobbit fan and want nothing but its success, but THIS is the reality. Did The Hobbit films make as much or more "units of worth" than LotR? No, but it doesn't matter because The Hobbit movies still made a heck of a lot of "units of worth."

An argument could be made that because folks are paying more ($3.00+ a gallon for gas in the States is NOT due to inflation) for other things that any dollars spent on non-necessities are worth more. A dollar to any family has variable worth. Heh heh. And this is why economics is still a soft science. Arthur: What manner of man are you that can summon up fire without flint or tinder? Tim: I... am an enchanter. Arthur: By what name are you known? Tim: There are some who call me... 'Tim'...? Arthur: ...greetings, Tim the Enchanter.

...$30m in China (to give 3 times the opening weekend: many places have 4 times), and Japan is still very early days (another $10m there at least), so well north of $950 is assured methinks (~$970m), so maybe not enough ooomph left for the $1b mark. As I said yonks ago 'a near run thing' (to quote Wellington)

10 GBP with an exchange rate of 2 US$ to 1GBP =$20 10 GBP with and exchange rate of 1.5 US $ to 1 GBP =$15 (theoretically for example only)

Nice round figures but £10 is the average price of a 2D cinema ticket in my part of the world, that exchange rate difference is $5 lost on the price of every ticket when it comes to international totals. This means the global box office only reflects the total amount in US $ a film has taken at the box office, not the total number of posteriors on seats. It is therefore possible that more people went to see DOS worldwide than AUJ but DOS took less at the Box office because of a different exchange rate, theoretically speaking.

Now for some facts:

Back when LOTR came out the retail exchange of the US $ to the GBP was roughly $2 to £1, I worked for a Bureau de Change at the time and the rate was high, now the rate is around $1.6 to £1, convert that into billions and that difference could have a far greater impact over a decade than inflation.

Sorry, Annatar598, I'm not picking on you. You're just the last post :-)

I think it's absolutely essential to adjust for inflation if one is hoping to get any sort of balanced and comprehensive overview of a film's success. If you don't then, surprise surprise, it's always the most recent smash-hits that make it to the top of the charts because people are now handing over 25 to 30 times as much to see them (in 2014) as they used to (say, in 1935).

I may have missed it; has anyone compared the adjusted grosses for all five films so far? "I have walked there sometimes, beyond the forest and up into the night. I have seen the world fall away and the white light of forever fill the air."